2016 Presidential Race: Iowa State Fair Live Blog

ABC News' live blog of the 2015 Iowa State Fair.

The Iowa State Fair, which runs from Aug. 13 - Aug. 23, is where you can find fried Oreos and corndogs galore, milk a cow, or view sculptures made of butter. Fairgoers also get a dose of politics to go with their pork chops. Nearly every presidential hopeful, both Democrats and Republicans, plan to make this campaign stop of the summer. Check back here for the latest.

by Veronica.Stracqualursi8/13/2015 3:15:05 PM

3rd & 7 37yd

3rd & 7 37yd

B

S

O

close

close

-

That Time Michele Bachmann Was On Her Way To Winning Iowa

ABC’s MICHAEL FALCONE: As the Iowa State Fair kicks off today, it’s worth remembering this headline on ABCNews.com from exactly four years ago today – Aug. 13, 2011: “Bachmann Wins Ames Straw Poll, Ron Paul in Close Second.” Here’s how we wrote the story: “Proving that she could match enthusiasm with organization, Michele Bachmann won the Ames Straw Poll today, catapulting her into the next phase of the Republican presidential primary. ‘Now it's on to all 50 states,’ Bachmann said in front of her campaign bus minutes after the results were announced. She thanked Iowans for her support. ‘God bless you, everyone.’”

The eventual winner of the Iowa Caucuses, Rick Santorum, finished fourth in the Straw Poll behind Tim Pawlenty, who dropped out of the GOP race a day later. Aug. 13, 2011 also happened to be the day Texas Gov. Rick Perry launched his presidential bid, almost immediately becoming the front-runner -- until he wasn’t. Much has changed in four years: There’s no straw poll; Donald Trump sits at the top of the polls for the Republican presidential nomination; Rick Perry doesn’t have enough money to pay his staff; and Ben Carson is on the rise in Iowa.

No word yet on whether Donald Trump will speak at the Des Moines Register Soapbox, but Trump plans on seeing the #buttercow. According to the CNN/ORC poll released yesterday, Aug. 12, Trump leads the GOP field in Iowa with 22 percent support.

Mike Huckabee Has Pork Chops For Breakfast, Hits Clinton On Emails

ABC's JOSH HASKELL: After chowing down on a pork chop for breakfast with his wife Janet, Mike Huckabee took to the soap box at the Iowa State Fair. Huckabee took the opportunity to hit Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, saying she won’t be there, but “she’ll e-mail in her appearances.” ABC News has confirmed that Hillary Clinton will be at the fair on Saturday, but will not speak at the Des Moines Register Soap Box.

I caught-up with Mike Huckabee on his tour of the fair and instead of talking about his Republican rivals, he continued to go after Hillary Clinton. Chatting with three Iowa State Troopers, Huckabee said he was “just making sure that you’re not looking for any emails that I might have on my server, right?” I asked Huckabee about his thoughts on HRC’s e-mail controversy:

“Gotta have a little fun in life,” he said. “I think she’s in real trouble. This is no longer just a political issue. It’s a legal issue now and I think that Hillary’s got a lot of questions to answer and there’s some serious things when you don’t take care of top secret material and there’s no way that she can pretend that she didn’t know better.”

Huckabee prepped for his soapbox speech with some food from the fair: "Let me begin with a recommendation: pork chop on a stick,” he said. “Trust me. It’s what’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack, and I’ve already been there.”

ABC's JILL ORNITZ: What can fair-goers expect from the Vietnam veteran?

Webb’s not really registering with Iowans according to recent polls. A CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday shows he’s only registering at 1 percent, eclipsed by Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Webb’s a one-term Democratic senator from Virginia with a resume that takes him from Washington to Hollywood. He wrote a 2000 war drama starring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson called “Rules of Engagement.”

Webb split from the rest of the Democratic party this summer after he published a Facebook post following the Charleston church shootings saying the United States needs to understand, “the complicated history of the Civil War,” in regard to the Confederate Flag.

Martin O'Malley Takes on the Giant Slide Before Taking on the Soapbox

The former Maryland Governor is slated to speak at the fair at 5 p.m. EST, but not before some quality family time. O'Malley and his two children, Will and Grace, braved the Reichardt Family Giant Slide and took a selfie in front of the sculptures made of butter.

Martin O'Malley Expected to Roll Out '15 Goals to Rebuild the American Dream'

ABC's JILL ORNITZ: The former Maryland Governor takes the stage in Des Moines this afternoon, but he may not make a splash among attendees. Wednesday’s CNN/ORC poll puts O’Malley at 1 percent, lagging behind Vice President Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

He’s expected to roll out his 15 Goals to Rebuild the American Dream during his fair appearance today, as a kick off to his “Rebuild the American Dream” tour. The tour will include more than 15 stops in Iowa during the next three weeks, according to his campaign.

It’s not clear if O’Malley will be bringing his guitar with him to the fair. He plays in a Celtic rock band and gave the country a musical preview of his presidential announcement on YouTube in May.

The Unofficial Corn Kernel Poll Explained

ABC’s JILL ORNITZ: Why are people putting corn kernels in jars with candidates’ faces on them? The jars are part of the unofficial “corn poll” at the Iowa state fair, where attendees can cast their votes for president with unpopped corn kernels.

The results are far from scientific, but based on these tweets from ABC’s Charli James, it looks like Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Scott Walker are winning with fairgoers on the first day...and the three have yet to take their turn at the soapbox.

Iowa State Fair Day 2: Jeb Bush's Time to Shine at the Soapbox

Today is day two of the Iowa State Fair and the only presidential candidate speaking today at the Des Moines Register Soapbox is Jeb Bush.Bush takes the stage at 10:30 a.m.EST and he has already arrived in Iowa, meeting with Iowa senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst.

The former Florida governor's poll numbers aren't so hot in the Hawkeye State. He will need to use the soapbox to win over Iowan voters who are opting to support more conservative, anti-establishment candidates like Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Ted Cruz. According to the Iowa CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday, Aug, 12, Bush is tied for seventh place with Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, polling at just five percent support.

ABC’s JOSH HASKELL, CANDACE SMITH and RYAN STRUYK: Florida Gov. Jeb Bush took to the Iowa State Fair soapbox stage, the only 2016 candidate to take his 20 minutes in the spotlight on Friday.

What was the crowd’s highlight? Bush gave out his email address to the audience: jeb@jeb.org. “Yes, I just gave out my email,” he said. "I'm writing an e-book about my e-mails. I believe we need more transparency in politics." Bush has given his email address out at previous events too.

Bush’s audience was the biggest crowd at the soapbox so far, with roughly 400 people who were very engaged and listening. The crowd was quiet and attentive, with one lone brief angry questioner who challenged his brother’s war record during a question-and-answer section in which Bush hit a strong rhythm.

During his speech, he cited his record: "I know how to fix things because I was a governor that fixed things." He then took 11 questions while on the stage on everything from Common Core to the war in Iraq to the Iran nuclear deal.

When asked if he supports Common Core? “I’m for high standards,” Bush said. “The term common core is so darn poisonous I don’t even know what it means.”

And of course, a Hillary Clinton jab: He says that he would campaign with “no rope line,” referencing Clinton’s use of a rope line in an Independence Day parade.

On smaller class sizes, Bush said it was a local issue and that there was “no evidence to suggest that yields higher student achievement.” And on ISIS, Bush also hit hard against how Obama has led American resistance against ISIS, saying that “we will have a strategy on day one against ISIS.” How does he feel about how Clinton and Obama have handled ISIS so far? "If there's a problem, don't say 'the dog ate my homework," he said. “Hillary Clinton has no strategy.”

by Ryan.J.Struyk edited by Veronica.Stracqualursi8/14/2015 3:23:58 PM

Jeb Bush Cheats on His Diet to Try Some Fried Food

ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI: Jeb Bush broke from his paleo diet today and indulged in some Iowa State fair fried food. The GOP candidate, who’s stuck to his diet fairly well so far on the campaign trail, couldn’t resist trying a fried Snickers.

Jeb eats a fried Snickers

by zekejmiller8/14/2015 3:45:00 PM11:45 AM

Luckily pork chops are allowed on the paleo diet. After his speech at the soapbox, Bush joinedIowa Governor Terry Branstad at the grill to flip some chops.“The only way to be on the diet is to cheat,” Bush told reporters at the Iowa State Fair today.

Jeb Bush took a moment at the Iowa State Fair to congratulate his niece Jenna Bush Hager and her family on the birth of their new daughter Poppy. For George W. and Laura, Poppy is their second grandchild.

5 Things To Know About the Iowa State Fair

ABC’s SUMMER FIELDS: The Iowa State fair kicked off yesterday in Des Moines. Presidentialcandidates are descending on the Hawkeye State to eat foods on a stick and deliver their soapbox speeches. Since 2002, the Fair has attracted about 1 million people each year. Here are five things to know about one of America’s largest state fairs:

The Butter Cow

The iconic butter cow sculpture weighs in at 600 pounds, enough to slather on 19,200 pieces of toast. The bovine work of art takes on average 16 hours to sculpt. Once the fair ends, the butter gets frozen and re-purposed. Current sculptor Sarah Pratt took over in 2006, after learning the ropes from her predecessor Duffy Lyon.

Wouldn’t life be easier if every food was on a stick? The Iowa State Fair offers over 70 different options for this on-the-go fare, from deep fried hot dogs to deep fried Snickers to caprese salad and smoothies on a stick for the health-conscious.New this year? Gluten free corndogs and apple pie on a stick.

8 Presidents Who've Visited The Iowa State Fair

ABC’s LOUISE SIMPSON: The Iowa State Fair’s ties to politics goes all the way back tothe ‘50s. Eight presidents have visited the fair – either in office, as candidates, or having left office.

Herbert Hoover: Former President Hoover visited the fair in 1954 at its centennial with then-President Eisenhower. The Fair’s 100th anniversary celebration included a horse caravan with 509 people and 471 horses. A 20-foot time capsule called the Centurlon was created, and will be unearthed at the 2054 State Fair.

Dwight D. Eisenhower: Eisenhower attended the 1954 Fair with Hoover early into his presidency. He gave an address, in which he said, “I saw in a squib in the paper that there was some anxiety, if not irritation, because it was said I was not going to pay my fifty cents to get into the Fair. Now, on behalf of a former President of the United States and myself, I hereby tender to Governor Beardsley one dollar, and hope that he will pass it on to the proper authorities,” which was met with laughter.

Gerald Ford: Then-President Ford made an appearance at the Fair in 1975, themed, “The Colonizers.” The fair that yearfeatured a British premier show with English singers, artists and folk dancers. There was a Machine Area, where one had the opportunity to pay for a slot to exhibit machinery in a large arena.Ford gave a speech to 10,000 in the Grandstand, saying, “First, I'd like to congratulate Ken [Falk, Secretary of the Fair] for the fine job that he has done with the arrangements for the fair. Since I don't qualify for kid's day, free admission, I will gladly give Ken my $2 to pay my way in.”

Richard Nixon: Nixon attended the Fair in 1960 as a presidential candidate against John F. Kennedy, and posed for a picture with two ears of corn.

Jimmy Carter: Then-candidate Jimmy Carter attended the Fair in 1976, and gave a speech on agriculture after the “Lemonade and Peanuts” gathering on the farm.

Ronald Reagan: Reagan attended the Fair long before he was president in the 1930s as a sports broadcaster for WHO Radio. He broadcasted baseball games and was named WHO’s sports director. The Fair recreated WHO Radio in 1987, and continues to broadcast live during the Fair.

George W. Bush: Bush attended the Fair as president in 2002. He was quoted as saying, “I came off my ranch today in Crawford. There are not many places that would kind of lure me away, but the Iowa State Fair is one.”

Barack Obama: Most recently, Obama attended the Fair in 2007 as a candidate and 2012 as the president running for re-election. In 2008, he brought the First Lady and their two daughters, where they rode the rides and ate caramel corn. Obama even won the endorsement of Norma Lyon, the Butter-Cow Lady. In 2012, he ate pork on a stick and bought 10 people beers as chants of “Four More Years!” turned to “Four More Beers!”

The first dinner and fundraiser was held in 2004 and featured addresses from state and local officeholders as well as candidates running for office, according to the Wing Ding’s website. The dinner itself is not affiliated with the Iowa Democratic Party.

Who’s scheduled to speak this year? Four of the five Democratic presidential candidates -- Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee -- will be addressingattendees at the Historic Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa Friday evening. Jim Webb will be left out.

This year also signals another historic first for the fundraiser -- it’s the first time they’ve completely sold out tickets.